Are Khanom Tom eaten on special occasions?

Yes — Khanom Tom are closely associated with Buddhist holidays and are made as temple offerings; they are also sold year-round at traditional markets.

dessert

Khanom Tom

ขนมต้ม

Mild

Khanom Tom are boiled Thai coconut rice balls — glutinous rice dough wrapped around a sweet coconut filling, boiled until cooked, and rolled in fresh shredded coconut.

Cultural Origin

Khanom Tom is one of the oldest Thai desserts, dating to at least the Ayutthaya period, made of glutinous rice-flour balls filled with palm-sugar coconut and rolled in grated coconut. It is one of the five traditional desserts presented at Thai weddings as a symbol of sweetness and unity.

Allergens & Sensitivities

coconut

Key Ingredients

glutinous rice flour
shredded coconut
palm sugar
pandan
coconut milk

Taste profile

Salty: fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste
Sweet: palm sugar, coconut
Sour: lime, tamarind, fermentation
Umami: dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock

The outer shredded coconut is unsweetened and slightly salted, so the first taste is savoury; the sweetness only arrives once you bite through to the soft palm-sugar filling inside.

How Khanom Tom Is Made

1
Making the filling
Palm sugar is melted down with grated coconut until it forms a thick, sticky paste, sometimes scented with pandan.
2
Making the dough
Glutinous rice flour is kneaded with water into a smooth, pliable dough.
3
Wrapping
Small portions of dough are flattened by hand and folded around a ball of the coconut filling, then sealed and rolled round.
4
Boiling
The filled balls are dropped into boiling water and cooked until they rise to the surface.
5
Coating
The cooked balls are drained and rolled immediately in fresh shredded coconut while still warm and slightly sticky, so the coconut clings to the surface.

When It’s Eaten

Eaten as a bite-sized snack rather than a bowl dessert, most closely tied to Buddhist holidays and temple offerings, though also sold year-round at markets.

How to Order It

ขอขนมต้มหนึ่งที่: kor khanom tom neung thi; One khanom tom, please

What people get wrong

Letting it sit for hours before eating — the rice dough is soft and pleasant fresh but hardens noticeably as it cools, so a piece bought in the morning and eaten that evening is a different texture entirely.

Where to Try It

Temple festivals, traditional markets, and Thai dessert vendors at Songkran and Wan Khao Phansa.

Tips

Best eaten fresh and warm — the rice dough is pleasant when just cooked, but hardens as it cools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Taste profile

Salty

fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste

Sweet

palm sugar, coconut

Sour

lime, tamarind, fermentation

Umami

dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock

The outer shredded coconut is unsweetened and slightly salted, so the first taste is savoury; the sweetness only arrives once you bite through to the soft palm-sugar filling inside.

How Khanom Tom Is Made

Making the filling

Palm sugar is melted down with grated coconut until it forms a thick, sticky paste, sometimes scented with pandan.

Making the dough

Glutinous rice flour is kneaded with water into a smooth, pliable dough.

Wrapping

Small portions of dough are flattened by hand and folded around a ball of the coconut filling, then sealed and rolled round.

Boiling

The filled balls are dropped into boiling water and cooked until they rise to the surface.

Coating

The cooked balls are drained and rolled immediately in fresh shredded coconut while still warm and slightly sticky, so the coconut clings to the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions